Have you heard the story of Seth who we read about in the Bible? His father was the only man in the world who never was a little boy, and his mother was the only woman in the world who never was a little girl. Have you figured out who they were? Here’s another clue: Seth’s father was made of the dust of the ground, and his mother was made from her husband’s rib. Now do you know? Keep reading for the answer.
Since God is true, we are sure that the Word of God is true, and this is God’s story. It is not made up by men who were just guessing because they were not there. You can read this story about Seth in Genesis 4:2525And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. (Genesis 4:25) to 5:8.
God called Seth’s parents by the name Adam. He had the same name for both of them, and perhaps your father and mother have the same last name too. That is God’s way.
Seth was the third child in the family. He might have had two older brothers, named Cain and Abel, but there was jealousy in Cain’s heart, and that spoiled everything. I think each of us can understand that the sin of jealousy spoils many people and many things.
The time came for an offering to the Lord, and Cain brought a very nice offering of fruit from the ground. Wouldn’t God be pleased with that? I expect you and I might be pleased, but God looks right down into the heart, and what he saw in Cain’s heart were the sins of pride and jealousy. Cain deserved death for his sins, and his offering showed that he did not care.
Here’s the problem. I have the sins of pride and jealousy in my heart too, and so do you. We also deserve death for our sins. There is only one hope for us, and that is the death of a Substitute in our place.
Abel brought the best sheep of his flock for His offering to God. It was killed as the substitute for the sinner, and blood poured out. God accepted his offering.
There was time for Cain to do the same, but Cain boiled with anger because his brother’s offering was accepted and his offering wasn’t. Maybe you understand this feeling too. You know someone who is saved by the precious blood of Jesus, but you aren’t. There is still time for you today. There is room for you to be saved by the precious blood of Jesus. He loves you and wants to be your Substitute so you can be saved too. Don’t let anger keep you away.
Cain was so angry that he killed Abel his brother, and that was the first death and the first murder in the world’s history, but it certainly was not the last. After killing his brother, Cain was afraid and utterly miserable, so he moved away. His descendants made wonderful things out of metal and invented the harp and other musical instruments. Maybe they forgot the whole ugly past, but forgetting does not take the sin away.
After that Adam and Eve had Seth and many more sons and daughters. Seth lived 912 years, so he had time for a big family and many grandchildren and great grandchildren.
We don’t know much about Cain’s family, but we do know one very, very wonderful thing about Seth’s family. If you read in Luke 3:3838Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God. (Luke 3:38), you’ll find his name. Thousands of years later and many generations later, he had a granddaughter named Mary whom God chose to be the mother of Jesus while she was still a virgin. So Seth was an ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ. And in between those times, he had a grandson named Shem who was in the ark with Noah.
These things were God’s secret. The devil knew a little, but not much, and he tried hard to break that line which brought our Lord Jesus into the world, but he couldn’t change God’s unbreakable promise.
Are you truly saved? If so, the devil and all his wicked angels cannot take you to hell. If you aren’t saved, no one else but the Lord Jesus can save you. If He died for you, don’t you think He loves you? Will you trust Him now?
ML-07/04/2010